Democrats Seek Comeback in Iowa After Sen. Ernst Retirement (1)

Iowa Republican Joni Ernst’s retirement will intensify attention on a Senate race Democrats need to put in serious contention in their longshot quest to win a Senate majority in the November 2026 elections.

The departure of Ernst, 55, who announced Tuesday she won’t seek a third Senate term, will test if Democrats can reverse their decade-long decline in Iowa, a former swing state that shifted sharply Republican in the years President Donald Trump has led the party. It twice backed Barack Obama.

Iowa preferred Trump by 13 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, one of five states that ...